I agree. My boss and I had a hard time at the Honolulu airport. the officer asked us so many questions. She just could not believe we were going there for a business meeting. She did not believe our e-tickets. She did not believe the printed letter of invitation. They did not believe I could speak English so well as a foreigner. She just made me feel so uncomfortable.

My wife and I went to Hawaii in 1995. She had a very nice, expensive gold watch which kept setting off the metal detector. She put it in a small bin and sent it through. It never made it out the other side!!!!
We protested to the security staff and even an Airport Police Officer that it must be stuck in the X-Ray machine and they just laughes. They finally looked inside and said there was nothing in there. I was very tempted to accuse them of stealing it but thought better of it when the cop basically told me to move on.
We are US mainlanders, so they had our money and now they have our watch. Thanks Hawaii.
PS: NO Aloha spirit there. They treat caucasian- Hawaiians like dirt. If you're native Hawaiian, you get red-carpet treatment.

Ha! These customs and immigration officers are just reacting to you and your attitude. If you think that you are above the law and need not be questioned then you will get what you deserve. We need people like that to keep out criminals and dealers.

I am amazed at all the negative comments about Honolulu. I haven't been there since 1995 but we used to go there every year on vacation and never encountered anything like I am reading here. It must have changed drastically because I went through Honolulu customs from Guam, Australia and Hong Kong and no one searched my bags or even asked me to open them. I always found the people friendly and helpful. The scariest experience I had was leaving Brussels airport. We sat on the tarmac for two hours while all the bags were removed from the plane and guards carrying M16s surrounded the plane during the search. We were not allowed to leave the plane. I thought there must have been a bomb threat. No one told us anything so I was uneasy during the flight home and was very happy to land in the USA.

I have never had any life-threatening situation at an airport but I have always had late departures from Beijing and all other Chinese airports. The late departure is never mentioned until all passengers are seated in the plane. Then no one can leave or get up from the seat and there is no air circulation. Summers make it around 37 degrees C and high humidity in both Beijing and Shanghai. No drink is ever offered while we wait. Of my ten or so departures from China, their best performance was 25 minutes late. Their worst and second worst were 3.5 and 3 hours late. Even as near as 5 minutes before they can actually start to move the plane, they never mention any estimated time for departure. If a plane is late arriving, the same holds true, no estimated time of arrival, just "The plane will be late and we will tell you when it gets here." I usually see the plane taxi up to the jetway passage so I know when the plane has arrived before they give any verbal indication.

The military in China is always requisitioning airspace for training flights or whatever. I believe this accounts for most of the delays there. Since it's such a regular occurrence, it's too bad airports and airlines can't plan ahead and make life a little more pleasant for travellers. Meanwhile, it would be great if priorities could be changed regarding use of airspace, especially considering the huge increase in air traffic in China.

I am a frequent flyer. I travel to China, Thailand, Hong Kong, Italy, Spain, and Mexico many times due to business and pleasure, but the most times that I travel is to China, and the longest time I have been delayed was 15 minutes overall, and I travel "economy class" ALL the time ;-)

So, I must have had a bad luck back in 2005. I missed my return flight from Beijing by arriving 10 mins late (bloody taxi driver did not know the way to the airport!). I had a connecting flight to Bankgkok from Guandong, so was prepared to be locked up in China for another couple of days (which would make me lose my job). Fortunately, the airport staff agreed to carry me to Guandong on another airline (for free!). This flight was on time too! But bad luck again: I missed my Bangkok flight. A few hours in Guandong and I decided to fly via Hong Kong instead (I am soooo grateful to my bank for my credit card, that it worked all that time!). All together, I was rather nightmarish, my only trip to China.

yep, I am very sure that it was not your lucky day at ALL ,... I have had "bad experiences in some airports in China, BUT the staff is so helpful and nice that they turn the bad moment into a wonderful experience. Just look how the tried to resolve your problem, which was not their fault or yours ,.. it was the fault of a taxi driver who may got confused in the airport route ,... All my bad experiences have been here in USA because of the unpoliteness and unfair treat of the airport personel , with the exception of an airline desk attendant in Fort lauderdale, she was helpful and wonderful, the airline is Northwest Airlines NWA.

I've found most, if not all, complaints about travel in China to be hysterical and exaggerated. I just returned from a trip through Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an, and a variety of smaller cities. The bathrooms were cleaner, the people nicer, the air cleaner, and the weather milder than I expected based on dire warnings from everyone I asked. Yes, they do celebrate New Year's Eve (on Dec. 31). No, everyone in the country does not want to rob me.

Frankly, I was surprised to see Beijing listed as one of the worst airports. Flying domestically in China is interesting and much, MUCH more crowded than I'm used to in the US. But the fact that the airport is packed with people doesn't make it awful. I flew out of Beijing on a snowy morning. There were about 10 times more people than I expected at the gate, but there was plenty of room and people were decently polite. Our plane switched gates, but english-speaking airport employees helped us find the right shuttle. Our flight was delayed by almost four hours because of the snow, but they did serve us food and beverages before we even took off. I flew on a few different airlines in China, and they all had decent service and beautiful flight attendants.

I couldn't even believe that video. Somehow "the food is shrink-wrapped!" does not seem like a horror to me, certainly not equivalent to landing in Somalia!

Never flown in China, so I wouldn't know about their delays.

I remember a few years ago I was flying on Northwest and we were stuck on the taxiway for what seemed to be an hour and a half...all packed on the plane like sardines and it was a pretty warm day too.

So, that problem is not just overseas.

This is at one of fast developing midsize airports in India. Literally cops do immigration check my US passport and says that he gave it back to me, by keeping next to him. I have to point to it by saying that's mine and you didn't give me back. I heard they steal passports and confiscate and use them for some one else. This happened while entering.

While coming back another cop checks our hand luggage at check-in and keeps my son's food ball and basket balls by saying they need to check them but they never returned. Very cheap cops.

Every single time my dad goes through Customs in San Frnacisco he get interrigated for hours, all because he travels so much. But they are still as rude to him when he nicely explains to the agent that he is overseas to make life in America safer for the rest of us. The really urprising thing is that its only the Asian and Philapino agents that interrigate him and question him for hours. This has been going on for years.

Now that you mention, I have also noticed Asian and Fillipino custom officials hassel a lot and are not very courteous. Infact the only time I have been hasseled coming into the US has been by Asian custom officials. Interesting you have had similar experiences.

Working as a fisherman/Chef on a crab boat in Alaska can be challenging enough , but getting there and home are the bigger battles of the annual fishing seasons . Dutch Harbor ( in the Alutian Islands ) had/has one of the most bizzare climates and weather change patterns of any place I have ever been; One minute sunny and 60...the next with white out blizzard conditions .To make this tome short I can only tell you that I have spent up to 4 days in this airport waiting to get back home to Seattle ...Only those who have visited Dutch can see the humor(and lack there-of) in the T-shirts sold at the airport that say : " I survived the Dutch Harbor Airport "

I worked up near Dutch Harbor and had to fly out of there. Four days is horrible... I thought 2 hours was bad. The thing was, they never really told us that our flight was delayed. Missed my flight to Los Angeles from Anchorage because they got in too late. The take-off was scary.. I'd only want to imagine how bad the landing is.

It was New Delhi international airport on my last trip to india in 1996 or 1997 as i can recount. I had a picture camera in my checked in luggage. when the luggage was off the plane and they scaned it before i could retreive it. there was white big cross mark on the bag. i did not consider it to be important as i did not had anything expensive or that need to be declared as a custom item. my entire family and my in-laws were with me along with my two little one`s. the guard at the exit door stopped us without explaining anything and started searching our bags. even being asked for reason they did not say a word. I found out after 4-hours of harrasment that they were looking for the camera. I had to give all kind of explanation. my wife had my papers in hand as i was pushing luggage cart.they let other family members leave while engaging me in discussion. then they asked my papers. i told them my wife had the papers and you let her out. i had to get those from her. The security person did not allowed me to get papers from my wife cause she just stepped out of the gate. he threatened me put me in jail and hold me for 2-hours next to exit gate. I had couple of drinks during so i felt like i have fight for myself. I told that person, look I do not anything that you are thinking. Only thing I have is this small liqour bottle and if this is finished then you are going to buy it from your pocket as i have no money. then he said why don`t you have money? I said you let every one out without me. so how can get money? He said call them and i will let you get money. then i said " I asked you to let me get papers and you didn`t? his response was" I have to buy food for family so you you have to pay".this shorted out my fuses. I asked him dont you get paid salary. He laughed and said" I have to pay my up-level something before i go home otherwise they will with-hold my salary. To make story short, IWAS TORTURED FOR 3-hours to pay something. SO I AM TELLING EVERYONE TO CONTACT YOUR AMERICAN EMBASSY BEFORE YOU START YOUR TRIP to make them aware of the situation you are expecting at any indian airports to avoid hassle and to get help immediately. DO NOT TRUST OR BELIEVE IN INDIAN AIRPORT SECURITY OR ANY POLICEMEN OR ALL OF THOSE GARBAGE HANDLERS OR ANY ONE TELLING YOU TO GO THROUGH THEIR SUPERIORS AT AIRPORT AS THEY ARE ALL THE SAME CORRUPT AND THIEVES, who just want your hard earned money. I also have one more on the next trip as my son barely made to SFO without any medical help and I had to take him to ER straight from airport and he spent two weeks in hospital. This thing will be in next posting. It`s not ony me but anyone who has indian background have gone through. I would like this to be published in headlines to help other unfortunate people to be aware of this so they can be prepared for this and want to tell the american consulate in NEW DELHI that your citizen are being tortured,Harrased, Looted, Ripped off for no reason By Indian Security and/or Police people at hte airport. It is Shamefull to indian Government as to How they TREAT their fellow brothers and Sisters and their KIDS.

have you noticed that at Indian airports they treat indians worse than foreigners? but then they also torment foreigners in immigration and customs and try to get as much money out of them as possible. in the end everyone has an awful experience. I tried asking for a complaint register after i had had enough, but nobody seemed to know where to find it. Although on LCD screens they kept saying that if you want to make complaints put them down on the complaint register. Next time you go to India try asking for the complaint register and see if you can find it!!! It is a joke!
Also it is funny that at Indira Gandhi Airport, they keep the AC on so high that u will keep shivering badly the whole time, even if the temperature outside is normal. I realised why they do so... because there is a Tea/soup counter in the waiting area that makes huge profits when everyone is cold. I had to go get 1 coffee and 2 soups waiting for my delayed flight. It is a pact between the guy who runs the coffee booth and the guy who runs the airconditioning in the waiting area. It is bizarre and i felt really sorry for the little kids who were probably falling sick because it was soooooo cold the whole time.

I am an American-Indian and travel through the airport in New Delhi all the time. I am sorry you had such experiences in 1990s. I have not had any in the 2000s although I have been stopped to have my bags checked a few times, but then let go no problems. So maybe changed times.....

Bangalore. I arrived late at night and customs x-rayed incoming bags - as a photographer, I carry alot of camera gear - all Nikon. Customs guy said that it was valuable and maybe I was here in Bangalore to sell it so it needs import duty. He would not let me call my Indian colleague. Bottom line is that he shook me down for $60 (negotiated down from $100 he proposed). I have NEVER paid a bribe to ANYONE in my life - I am 50 and have traveled many places in the world. As I handed him the cash I was just petrified that this was I setup and I would be arrested right there. This was my 1st trip to India - fortunately everyone else I met there was very nice and it was pleasant. But the incoming customs experience left a very bad taste in my mouth for India.